DESPITE growing economic uncertainty and worries over jobs and the future, the vast majority of people in the Isle of Man are very happy to live here and very much enjoy the quality of life.
And it appears that our unpredictable weather doesn’t make us unhappy either. In fact, the survey shows that people living in warmer countries such as France, Italy and Spain aren’t anywhere near as happy with life as we are in the Isle of Man.
These are the latest findings from the political survey conducted by Manx People Power leading up to the House of Keys General Election on September 29th.
As part of the survey, commissioned by Hugh Davidson and conducted by leading UK Research Company, HPI Research, Isle of Man residents were asked about their level of happiness.
The question was: ‘How happy would you say you are with the overall quality of your life? Select one of these phrases that best describes you … Very Happy, Satisfied, Disappointed, Very Unhappy, No Real Feelings, Don’t Know.’
A total of 60 per cent of those interviewed described themselves as ‘Very Happy’, and 35 per cent ‘Satisfied’. Women (63 per cent ‘Very Happy’) were happier than men (56 per cent). Geographically, the South had a higher level of ‘Very Happy’ – 66 per cent.
There were no significant differences by ‘Born in the Isle of Man’ and ‘Born Elsewhere’, but there was a variation by social group (AB Group 63 per cent ‘Very Happy’, DE 56 per cent). Happiness levels were broadly similar for all age groups, except 45-59 year olds who were not quite so happy (54 per cent ‘Very Happy’).
How does 60 per cent ‘Very Happy’ in the Isle of Man compare with other countries? While we have no direct comparisons for 2011, the likely answer is ‘Very well indeed’. In the World Values Survey of over 50 countries, only one scored over 60 per cent ‘Very Happy’. In six MORI polls between 1991 and 2007, the UK averaged 37 per cent ‘Very Happy’.
In the 2005 ‘Freedom to Flourish’ research, HPI Research asked the same question of IOM residents and 58 per cent said they were very happy, so there has been little change. This research was linked to an identical study of 30 countries by GfK/NOP, and the IOM ranked top of the 31 country group for happiness, ahead of Australia (43 per cent ‘Very Happy’). The UK scored 32 per cent (and was 5th equal).
Professor Davidson said, “One can draw two main conclusions from these studies: One - the level of happiness in the Isle of Man is much higher than the vast majority of countries in the world, especially the UK. This finding is consistent with the high levels of satisfaction among Isle of Man residents on education, health, social services, and law and order.
“Two - happiness rankings in the Isle of Man have continued at a high level between 2005 and 2011, through the world financial crises.”
Interest in using non-economic measures such as ‘gross national happiness’ (coined by the King of Bhutan in 1972), and national well-being, has increased greatly in recent years. The British, French and Canadian governments all have active programmes.
Professor Davidson added, “A cynic might say this reflects the difficulty Western politicians anticipate in delivering real economic growth in future, but that’s probably harsh.
“There has also been a proliferation of academic involvement in Happiness Studies in recent years. These show a relatively weak correlation between income levels and happiness. Indeed, some studies indicate a high level of happiness in poor countries like Nigeria and India.”
The 2005 Research in the Isle of Man showed that the most important elements contributing to the good life are health, financial security, owning your own home, a happy marriage, control over one’s life, and an interesting job. Personal security/low crime was also important.
He added, “There is a misconception that good climate, beautiful beaches, and great food are big factors in determining quality of life. That is not so. France, Italy and Spain for instance, consistently gain mediocre scores.
“The big question for the Island is whether it can maintain its high quality of life, in the context of a 36 per cent cut in government income, after the two VAT raids, one following so closely on top of the first.”
